Richard Ashcroft XVI
Baron Richard Henry Ashcroft XVI of Lower Westfall or Prior Richard I of Spelthorne Priory is the last descendent of a long line of Ashcrofts and is the rightful heir to their fortune and demesne in the Kingdom of Stormwind. However, unlike his ancestors, Richard's pursuits are somewhat of a more pious provenance; giving his family's land completely to the Church and trading his title for a Prior's seat. Although he is often described as a cold, austere and dull man, Richard's main interests include literature, religion, history and tactical warfare. This has culminated in a large portfolio of writings and books, as well as military and religious achievements across Azeroth. Richard still lives on, at the age of forty one, as a trained paladin of Stormwind and the Church, although he has recently lost his knighthood, lands and seat in the diocese of Stormwind. In spite of these jurisdictions being overturned, Richard has not returned to Stormwind and has not taken his titles back. Instead, Richard lives under the patronage of the Argent Crusade writing books and working as a scribe, awaiting the time Stormwind needs him once more. Appearance Richard's appearance has changed over the years and has to some degree followed his circumstances accurately. It should be clear that Richard is a man who takes note of his appearance and places a great emphasis on the power of first impressions. As he has matured, Richard became very frugal toward his own budgets due to the solidifying of his faith. Therefore, his armour and attire lacks superfluous or fashionable detail which is common among the members of the gentry and aristocracy. Features Richard is often described as having a thick mop of fair hair which in the winter is a muddied blond and in the summer a vibrant gold colour. At the age of thirty grey began to appear in Richard's hair. Now, as a forty year old man he has many more, although he has retained a good deal of blond hair in spite of his age. The result is gold streaked with silver in a pattern similar to a tiger's pelt. Although Richard has always kept his hair longer than the fashion at the time, has had a number of different haircuts in his life, varying from a monk's tonsure to a conventional knight's sweep of hair; cut behind the ear and swept over to one side to accommodate his baronial or prior crown. For much of Richard's earlier life he chose to be clean shaven, but as he grew older he began to grow a mustache and then a wholesome beard which is also a golden grey. Richard has a high forehead with a prominent bone structure. High, bony cheekbones stand out like cliffs against his classic Grecian profile: A straight nose flanked by dangerously symmetrical eyes. His jaw is squared and hangs above his very obvious Adam's apple. Richard's mouth has a stiff, thin and unmoving upper lip which hardly ever moves when he isn't talking. This means that he has what appears to be a disapproving, grim and serious frown constantly, because his brow is weighted downwards as if with the heaviness of an unspoken concern. This effect is only heightened by the small arrogant greyish-green eyes that unflinchingly stare with a pious and self-righteous intensity; often giving the impression that he is either judging you or leaning aggressively forward. As he has become older, signs of age have become evident and dark rings hang under his eyes from fatigue and stress. Even crow's feet scratch out small fissures at the corners of his eyelids and some wrinkles congregate in rows upon his forehead and around his mouth. Richard's complexion was originally a noble alabaster pale but as he has aged and spent more time in hotter climates, he gained a slight tan and a few spots of pigmentation. In terms of his body, Richard's height is approximately 5'10", making him above average but not exactly tall or imposing. Indeed, rather than your typical warrior height and muscle build, Richard has a lean ectomorphic build, and was even skinnier as an adolescent. His legs and arms are longer in proportion to his body, giving him a lanky appearance when naked; something he was very self-conscious about when he was a skinny young boy. Richard does not lack muscle now and his shoulders filled out with maturity, promoting Richard's sense of masculinity. Equipment Richard's clothing does not change often as he is a man of habit and miserly budget. However, Richard has seen a few wardrobe and armorial changes in his life. In adolesence and young adulthood, under the tutelage of his knight, Richard wore tight fitting plate armour, as shown in the picture, which made his movement on the battlefield more strained. Richard often complained he looked more like a metal pipe because of how slight he had been. However, as Richard returned from Lordaeron to take up his baronial seat he adopted his personal frugal attitude to his spending on armour. He swapped the plate breastplate for a green and yellow (as were the colours of the Ashcroft family) gambeson, crested with four ash tree leaves, with mail under armour and skirts. To add to this, he had tactically placed plate pauldrons and other guards strapped onto more vital points on his body. This armour collection was the basic blueprint for the future Brotherhood of Alonsus uniform; the only difference being the gambeson being emblazoned with the Lion of Azeroth on a blue background. In casual wear Richard will only wear a baronial or noble robe if formality demands it. He is more comfortable wearing his many layers of armour or casual clothing. Indeed, Richard would often wear several layers because he often feels chilly or cold. Under his armour he will wear two layers of undergarments, a few tunics and jackets. This also aided Richard in creating a deception to hide his skinny fragility. However Richard did once wear a pair of long-johns on a holiday in Lakeshire, complaining it was chilly during the hottest day of the Redridge summer. Richard can use a number of weapons and often has more than two on him when on the battlefield. His favourite weapons are, by far, the lance and longsword. Though he has never named his lances, as they often break during battle, his longsword once belonged to an ancient family of knights, the Westmorelands. Thus it has a name; Anrhydedd, which has lost its meaning over time. As both a symbol of his status as both a knight and aristocrat, he often carries this longsword around. The longsword itself is not particularly well decorated, in terms of gems and intricacy, but has an austere beauty; its truesilver blade shimmers gently in the sun, and its cross-guard is a simple and undecorated gold. Perhaps the only frill of the blade is the word anrhydedd engraved in the fuller. Richard keeps this weapon well sharpened, and as it has been used by Richard for such a long time the blade has become thinner, although not by much, due to its magical properties. As for jewelry, Richard does not wear much other than the necessary emblems of office. For purposes of his feudal title Richard has a sweeping cloak, a baronial ring and a crown. These are mostly plain and undecorative, and are usually silver or steel. The most detailed of these three items would be the ring, which has an ash leaf carved into the surface. Personality On first meeting, Richard can appear unemotional, cold, aloof, haughty and, at times, rude. Although the list is actually a truthful account of his personality, the reason people usually think of him this way is because of his incapacity to offer a polite and warm smile which people usually afford each other on first meeting. This bad impression is only made more severe by his grim and serious stare along with the way he postures himself; it can appear as if he is looking down on others, and he usually is. Richard is an exceedingly religious and self-righteous sociopath and has a piety unmatched by most sane contemporaries. This piety has afforded him a grave and strict attitude, a heavily entrenched arrogance and a judgemental disposition. While trying to avoid the various sins that make life more interesting and generally happy, Richard has deprived himself of the conventional concept of 'fun'. Consequently he is often described by his peers as a very dull and boring man, lacking in humour and joviality. That is not to say that Richard is without passion, and indeed, in Richard's youth he had been somewhat more of a romantic and a zealot. The years have calmed him, but not by much: Richard is still a vehement believer in the Light, and his faith brings him both joy and anger. When he speaks of his faith, and he often preaches and orates, he does so lovingly; when he condemns, and he often condemns, he does so with a vigour. Though his passions are not limited or spent by his creed, as he also possesses an affection for literature, oration, art of all kinds and the tactics of warfare. Richard had loved a lot more as a fiery youth, including meats, wines and other extreme luxuries; he often enjoyed the life of the wealthy. Since, Richard has relinquished these fine comforts and has instead embarked on a strict lifestyle of frugality and self-imposed poverty. In other words, Richard denies himself indulgence of his 'earthly pleasures' and therefore sin. Politics In politics, the youthful Richard's lot was heavily thrown in with nationalism, though at the age of twenty five he arrived at a new thesis; preservation of the sovereignty of the supranational (and racial) organisation of the Alliance. He places emphasis on the need for collective action, often specifying dwarves, gnomes and humans as the 'core' of the Alliance. Residing over this all, however, is his conservatism. Richard believes in the preservation of the ancien régime (the monarchy and 'divine right of Kings') as well as religion and a rigid social hierarchy. This is exemplified by his love of tradition (ironically not for his family's own traditions), order and authority - all of which he believes are tied together. Also, he encourages the practice of paternalism, and indeed, he practiced it in his (former) demesne. However Richard believes that often aristocrats forget their social duties, as dictated by the hierarchy, and instead of looking after their serfs and vassals, as they are obliged, neglect them in favour of their own comfort. Richard believes that this is not only morally wrong, but also a recipe for revolt from below. Love As a younger man, Richard had many love interests and was very sexually active and liberated. It is often suggested among some courts that he was bisexual. This is uncertain, but Richard did indeed fall in love many times in his youth. The product of this was a collection of bastards to whom Richard has no relationship, to this day. At the age of twenty nine, Richard renounced his old ways after a particularly large and impacting heartbreak. Finally, Richard reflected on his actions and repented for over a year. What emerged from this was a celibate man who, in the future, would enter a loveless and platonic marriage to secure funding for the Brotherhood of Alonsus. Since his atonement, Richard has not loved or given in to his 'lustful urges'. Positives Richard's positives generally have root in his deep connection with the Holy Light. Richard prays, without fail, six times a day and abides by virtually every working practice that the Church of the Holy Light has set out for its adherents. Therefore, the defense of innocents, the respect of everyone and the faithful tenacity his shows are all aspects considered good. He is, in a sense, a philanthropist and has donated much of his inherited wealth to his peasantry; enabling them to buy their own allotments. This is a mark of another of his positives; his belief in paternalism towards those lower down in the hierarchy of society. Although he believes they should remain in their place as peasants, he believes that they should at least be able to live and enjoy more comfortable lives - albeit in servitude to the Light. Perhaps this can be interpreted as compassion or love of people, albeit the truth is once again rooted in his faith more than any emotional connection. Richard is highly loyal to his subordinates and his greaters, and has done much in the way of proving this. His is a word that many can, and do, count on, and his habit of keeping promises, codes and oaths has hardened into his whole meaning. Richard is his duty, and he is unwavering in that respect. Duty leads Richard into bravery and selflessness. Indeed, Richard does not have a conventional ego and will sacrifice his own wellbeing for the Holy Light and its doctrines. Such a concrete belief and assurance in the Light might lead to arrogance, but it mainly leads to a conviction and charisma Richard exerts. His sociopathic nature also makes him, in a way, able to manipulate or bring people around to his way of thinking. Richard unwittingly uses this as a tool, as he regards this the Light's spiritually gravitational pull. Negatives Richard has little social skills, and can be described as a sociopath, sometimes even mentally disabled: He lacks both sympathy and empathy, and instead has taught himself a strict code of thinking and morality. When asked as an adolescent to describe happiness, Richard answered 'the face the peasants make when they receive bread'. This, perhaps, can be traced back to his very distant and unrequited relationship with his father and the lack of a loving childhood. His experiences later in life have caused him to look down on self-pity, and he often finds it hard to have respect for people who do not themselves have a strict moral code. There are elements of carelessness and coldness in Richard that are there under the surface. He cares for duty over family and friends; the doctrines and tenets of the Holy Light more than people. You might go so far as to say that he regards people, including himself, as expendible to further the cause of the Holy Light. Such coldness has led people to the assumption that Richard hasn't a heart, and instead a holy scripture rests within his bosom. However, it is his duty, selflessness in coldness and faith that redeems him. Richard, in spite of his faith, has an ego and strain of vanity, albeit in an unconventional sense. Richard regards this as his greatest sin; the sin of pride. In Richard's service of the Holy Light, he truly believes himself to be one of the only pure and morally-upstanding people in the Church. Richard's ego has merged with the spirituality of the Holy Light, and he takes criticism of the faith personally. Furthermore, he is selfless and altruistic only outwardly. He can vividly recount every good deed he has done and every success he has had and takes enormous satsifaction of vanity and pride from it. It is this solid faith and pride that causes Richard's arrogance. His conviction often overflows into arrogance, and he often belittles and looks down upon people who do not fit his definition of what's right. Richard has a deep and enshrined hatred of the orcish race, and a consuming moral objection to the existence of undead. However his deepest despisal is magic, in particular the arcane and the daemonic - this has led to a contempt for the high elven and blood elven race. This hatred, it can definitely be said, arose from his experience with his own family's traditions and ancestry which was all too willing to use daemonic and arcane magic. More directly, Richard's father was consumed by the harming influences of magic and 'wholly consumed' by its study. Thus, Richard was neglected. In Richard's own life, one of his children, and perhaps the only one he regarded as legitimate, was deformed by dark magic. However, Richard's mind almost mechanically disregards emotion and places logic above all. Therefore he is able to stem his hatred often totally. This is not to negate the discrimination, as it doesn't quite disappear. Richard can often snap abruptly to talk or act in fervour. This is especially the case for orcs and undead, in that Richard often adopts a 'no mercy' attitude when in conflict with them. The mechanical and sociopathic way his mind works means that Richard is, as aforementioned, able to manipulate. This can be a good and bad thing, and has often meant Richard has had no trouble in being able to drum up a following for several causes. Health Although Richard has always internalised his problems, health has been a major concern in his life both physically and mentally. As a child, Richard was an unstable, skinny and sickly boy and had problems which no physician or priest could solve. As a consequence, Richard was made to feel like a burden and it isolated him as he was unable to socialise properly, preferring to spend time on his own. These health problems continued into later life and have had some dramatic effects on his adult life. Physical Illness Richard has been suffering from a form of scoliosis since he was an adolescent. The problem first arose when he collapsed when parrying during martial practice. Richard describes the feeling as his back giving way, 'as if a stick tried to hold a boulder'. Physicians could not tell what the problem was, and suggested Richard ate more meats and gained weight. Richard would eventually learn to cope with this problem. Exercise has enabled him to develop ways of ignoring the pain his spine gives him as well as a style in which he can minimalise the stress on his spine during combat. However, much to his chagrin in earlier life, Richard was unable to gain weight until he put on some muscle in his late twenties. This haunted him as the cause of his back problems and also convinced him of his lack of masculinity. The main reason Richard was unable to put on weight was his inability as a child and teenager to digest foods without vomiting bile or becoming 'too full to breathe'. Stomach pains have plagued Richard for the entirety of his life, and he believes meats and vegetables irritate his stomach and bowels whereas milk and fish oils soothe his aches. Physicians and other healers were unable to diagnose Richard, although one priest's theory was that Richard suffered from 'extreme butterflies' and his social ineptitude and anxiety caused him to vomit when faced with an embarrassing or awkward situation. Later in life, Richard's problems have become more manageable, although he still vomits twice a month or so. Richard's pains actually led him to use potions and other elixirs in the vain hope alchemy would solve his ailments. For a time, Richard found a pain suppressant, albeit highly addictive, through a goblin trader. Richard regards this as a low point in his life, and for a time, was in debt to a small goblin syndicate for his addiction to the concoction. Richard was only saved by the goblins' deaths at the hands of a business rival. The debt was wiped and Richard, although suffering from withdrawal, eventually stopped using the elixir. Mental Illness Richard suffers from mental burdens as well as physical burdens, although the latter has created the former. Richard's inability to bulk up or his skinny fragility caused his peers, his father and even himself to question his masculinity. Insecurities arose within his childhood about pleasing his father and living up to his father's expectations. For example, Richard was called 'milk-drinker' by his father, which was an insult within the Ashcroft family who thought to drink cow's or goat's milk was the height of profanity. Eventually their relationship would break down, and without the comfort of a mother, Richard lacked parent figures. Due to his isolation as a noble and also a refugee at the time of his childhood, Richard sought guidance in the Holy Light. He was not able to make a connection with a human or person at that stage and, barring the tragic romantice interests here and there, has not been able to since. The result of this is that Richard has developed into a sociopath and finds little connection with other human beings. Diet & Exercise Richard has dealt with the problems the Light has given him in his own way. He exercises daily by participating in running and martial practices, with or without company. Originally this exercise would give Richard immense pain, but his faith and fortitude have made it so Richard can now perform on the battlefield effectively. His spine no longer creates an issue unless it is directly attacked or Richard falters. Although it still pains him time to time, and no doubt it is exacerbated by the amount of layers and armour he wears, you will not find Richard complaining or using it as an excuse to not fight or train that day. Richard's diet has adapted to his stomach pains. He has become a self-styled pescetarian; his favourite dish is salmon and cheese with a glass of milk. As a man of strange habitual behaviour, Richard will always drink a glass of milk before he goes into battle to line his stomach. Therefore, he prevents himself from throwing up in his helmet, which has happened on three occasions. Skills and Talents Richard is a man of considerable talent in the realms of intellect and has an ability to understand complex theories due to his sharp mind and lengthy education. However, Richard has several physical limitations. In spite of his daily exercises, his small stature and lack of weight means he is, for the large part, without in terms of strength. In Richard's mind, this has served him better as he has been able to focus on swordsmanship and skilfull equestrianism alongside erudite academia and religious study. Intelligence and Knowledge Richard is practiced in the ways of literature and is a particularly good wordsmith. It is from intense reading that he draws an experience, to either a lesser or greater extent, of most discovered subjects in Azeroth; whether this is against his beliefs or not. This wide range of knowledge, albeit lightly clouded by his prejudice, gives him a broad understanding of his and other peoples' worlds. This knowledge has expanded his sociopathic ability to manipulate people, because he has a contextual background on what might distress them or make them happy. Richard calls this the 'Holy Light's gravitational ability of inspiration and persuasion'. In a manner of speaking, this can be described as an artificial charisma. Of course, this is not to say Richard is completely unlikeable as a person, but without his ability of speechcraft and oratory then he would hardly wield the influence over his followers that he does - or did. Richard has an academic mind, which can mean that he devotes himself to logical conclusions rather than purely religious answers. However Richard is human and has and will make mistakes. Often, his 'logical conclusions' collide with his religion and coagulate together to form tightly held convictions. Naivety might have caused him some problems in his early stages of study, yet Richard often obsesses over theories, magics and books, staying up late at night in his study. It is this great intelligence combined with his inspired conviction in faith that grants him a powerful access to the ways of the Light. Richard's healing powers, although not the best by any standard, are fairly remarkable. In exceptional circumstances he has been known to repair fatal wounds. Towards the offensive, Richard prefers to save his abilities for the undead and beings of evil. In fact Richard will decline from using his powers at all in almost every circumstance, finding that the use of the Light in any 'petty and mortal' capacity is to do it injustice. What Richard finds 'petty and mortal' is a wide spectrum; claiming that somethings are just meant to be. Nevertheless, Richard has a powerful command of the Light and should not be underestimated in the rare event he chooses to use his powers. Martial Abilities Richard is not even remotely a master of swordsmanship, but he has a keen eye for an opponent's movements and is ambidextrous. These two factors allow him to anticipate the opponent's offense and make a good counter attack. However, Richard does not carry the weight that most warriors do and is duck-footed, meaning his fighting stance is never quite correct. He prefers to stab rather than hack, and this can leave him open to a larger enemy. Originally Richard was useless on foot, especially against heavier races such as orcs. In the Second War, Richard was so often close to death that he was a regular occupant in a hospice's bed. Perhaps Richard has improved with experience but he is still very weak on foot outside of a shield wall or phalanx. As a consequence, Richard has been called a coward by many an opponent due to his unwillingness to duel with another fighter one on one. This is not to say Richard is not a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Richard is an excellent equestrian and what he lacks in skill on foot he more than makes up for in the saddle of a warhorse. He is able to ride the horse without any hands on the reins and can adjust his balance on the saddle to accommodate his weight in almost every position. This skill has arisen from his training with horses from a young age and his affinity with the animal, which he professes to like more than he does most humans. Richard is usually the last on his horse in a battle, even when the rest of the cavalry have either been knocked off their saddles or killed, as his mastery of the beast allows him to withdraw and attack at quite amazing speeds. However a single cavalryman is often useless, and at the age of 24 Richard was promoted to the command of his own shock cavalry unit. Upon taking back his baronial seat Richard raised many knights from his lands, and Lower Westfall would eventually become famed for its horses and knights. Richard's keen eye for weakness in an enemy's line is one of the greatest helpers in making Richard a brutally efficient tactician, and at one moment can use the proficiency his horses to withdraw from engagement and slam with the speed of lightning and power of a juggernaut into an enemy's flank. This use of cavalry has led Richard to victory against the Forsaken, Scourge and closer to home, Blackrock orcs. However his reliant formula on cavalry has also cost him victories against the Frostwolf, Scarlet Crusade and most famously the Warsong Clan. Since these successes and failures, Richard has learned to adapt with the help of his sergeant and perhaps closest 'friend' Beorn who helped organise and retrain Brotherhood and Ashcroft infantry. Richard began to deploy pikemen and artillery to the fray alongside his conventional swordsmen, cavalry and longbowmen format. History ONCE AGAIN DOING THIS OVER. Land & Titles House Ashcroft has had a long tradition of switching fealty and therefore demesne, but has for most of its time, held land in the Kingdom of Azeroth. In his life, Richard has been pursued by history and land-hungry relatives. Several opportunities have, in places, opened and closed for him to grasp at land in other kingdoms. However, Richard has remained true to his word that he would not pursue history and be satisfied with the lands bequeathed to him by his direct legacy and not tenuous connection. This has allowed him to focus on building upon his lands in the Kingdom of Stormwind and has lead to a number of improvements in irrigation, livestock farming and the building of the abbey to which Richard would eventually forfeit his land to voluntarily. Literature The Dissolution of Things A short essay on Richard's opinion of the new rising generation of paladins and priests, written around the reopening of the Dark Portal. The Hamlet A book of short stories about Richard's experiences in Duskwood as a young man and later in life. Not yet published. Category:Knight Category:Human Category:Holy Light Category:Back story